Free & open source

PDF accessibility checking, simplified.

An open source command-line tool for scanning PDFs against WCAG best practice — at any scale. Try it against a single PDF and get a structured accessibility report.

View on GitHub  | Read the docs  | How it compares 
The web checker demonstrates individual PDF scans. For bulk scanning or workflow integration, use the command-line tool.

Drag and drop your PDF here

or browse to upload · up to 10 MB

No files stored · Results generated instantly

Built by Bloom Works for public sector teams and everyone else. Coded in Python. Supports automated workflows.

Scan PDFs at scale

The simplA11yPDF scanner helps you triage at scale — for free. Run it over any number of PDFs to find out which pass automated checks, which have fixable problems, and which are structurally inaccessible.

MIT licensed and built in the open. Originally developed by Luxembourg’s Information and Press Service, extended by Bloom Works.

What it checks Read the docs on GitHub
# Scan a folder of PDFs
./analyse.sh

# Or a single file
python pdfCheck.py tojsonreport document.pdf

# Or import in Python
from simpla11ypdf.scanner import check_file
result = check_file("document.pdf")
Critical failures
Image-only PDFs with no OCR, or completely untagged documents.
Fixable issues
Missing document title, no primary language set — PDF problems that are straightforward to remediate.
Passes automated checks
Clears all automated checks. Manual review of reading order and color contrast still recommended.
What we check

Verify your PDF against WCAG best practice

The scanner runs automated checks across the majority of WCAG 2.2 PDF Techniques, from document structure and headings to tables, forms, and alt text.

Document
Title, language, tagging, accessibility permissions, and bookmarks for long documents.
Headings
Hierarchy, skipped levels, first heading level, and plain H tags that break reading order.
Tables
Row and column structure, header cells, TR/TH/TD hierarchy, and row regularity.
Alternate text
Alt text for images, nested alt text patterns, and annotations that can hide content from screen readers.
Forms
Field descriptions, AcroForm and XFA detection, tagged form fields, and widget associations.
Lists & Annotations
L/LI/Lbl/LBody hierarchy and link annotation tagging for proper assistive technology support.
What you'll get

A clear, structured
accessibility report

Results are grouped by category — the same structure used in professional accessibility audits. Passed, flagged, and failed checks are clearly separated, with details on every issue found.

  • Summary of passed, failed, and manual checks
  • Category-by-category breakdown
  • Raw JSON output for developers and CI pipelines
  • Structured report matches industry-standard PDF audit format
  • Runs over single PDFs or in bulk
annual-report-2025.pdf
35 pages · Checked just now
1 issue found
29
Passed
2
Warnings
1
Failed
Document2 need review
Page ContentAll passed
Tables1 failed
HeadingsAll passed
Alternate TextAll passed
FormsAll passed

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